Bat.



J. A. HILLERICH.

BAT.4

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 9. I9I5.

1,213,370. u Patented Jan. 23,1917.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEFIoE.

JOHN`A. HILLERICH, 0F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR T0 HILLERICH & BRADSBY COMPANY, A.' CORPORATION OF KENTUCKY. 4

BAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.A

Application led October 9, 1915. Serial No. 55,018.

To all lwhom t may concern:

' Be it known that I, JOHN A. HILLERIGH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jedersonand dles for golf clubs, base ball bats, tennis rackets, hockey sticks and other sporting goods for which this constructionds suitable;

It relates to the invention set forth in'my Patent 1,110,487, dated September 15, 1914, 'and is an improvement thereon, being especially directed to the application of a cork handle covering to shafts or handles of relatively small diameter, in such manner as to give an enlarged or cushioned (or both) such handles.

With such objects in view the invention consists in the parts and combinations therethe subject of illustration.

In said drawings-Figure 1 is a side view I* ofa shaft for a golf club or bat embodying the' invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of thehandle portion of the same, on line II-II of Fig. 1, on a larger scale. Fig. Bis' a plan view of the sheet or layer of cork before it is applied to the handle. Fig. 4 is a side view of a ortion of the handle illustrating the application thereto of the enlarging and cushioning base over which the sheet of cork isthereafter applied. Fig. 5 is a cross section of the handle illustrating the manner of applying the cork thereto unj the joint. i

Referring to the drawings'4 1 indicates the shaft' of a' golf stick, and 2'the handle thereof. v

' 3 isa, sheet or-layer of cork of ksufficient length -t'o'jpfo'rin the necessary grip, and

foundation for the cork grip covering ofA for the purpose of example, has been madeV der tension. Fig. G'is a similar view ofthe shaped at its-longitudinal edges, according to the contour of the handle, so vthat when it is first applied around the handle in proper positiort its said longitudinal edges will not quite meet. This sheet of cork is preferably about one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness, and a convenient lengthfor the same is about twelve inches.

4 indicates the enlarging and preferably cushioning foundation of the cork sheet. This foundation consists preferably of a strip of woolen listing wound upon the handle portion, as indicated in Fig. 4. This foundation may however be of leather, and it may be in the vform of a strip wound spirally or it 'may lin the form of a sheet passing once aroundthe handle. Before the vsaid lfoundation 4 is applied, I first give to the handle, and to the inner side of the foundation material if desired, a coating of water-proof fish glue cement, after which thev foundation strip or sheet is applied tightly to the handle, and allowed to dry in such condition. After thesaid foundation is dry I'apply to the same an exterior coating of such cement or glue and apply asimilar coating to the inner side ofthe cork sheet. Then a thread or cord c is wound around the cork sheet in such manner as to compress the same and increase its width, andjthis. compression is continued until the edges of the cork sheet are brought rmly together. The cement is then allowed to become thoroughly dry and the cord 0 is removed. The inner surface or skin of the cork sheet is then coincident with and practically integral l the sheet from becoming .detached at any point from the handle. The tension of the cork .sheet is evenly distributed from end to end of the same, by reason of the prelimi-"' nary shaping of the sheet and the manner in which it was applied to the bat handle. The longitudinal edges 5 of thecork sheet may be shaped to form a butt joint, as indicated at 6 in Fig. 5,011 they may be shaped to form a lap joint as indicated at'7 in Figs. 7 and 8.

The thread or cord c is applied b a wind- .in-gl machine, while the operator olds the cork sheet'in properl position curled around the bat handle, proper tension being maintained upon the cork to flatten vout or spread Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Athe advantages of cork in 'over the ldiameter of the or stretch the cork as may be necessary to make a perfect joint and leave the cork in its final stretched condition after it has dried and the cord has been removed. A

Any variation in taper or contour from the cylindrical which the handle portion of the club may have is allowed for by varia-l tions in the width of the sheet of cork, so that all parts of the same are substantially equally stretched when the' edges of the sheet have been brought into proper contact, so that an eXact and durable joint between said edges of the cork sheet' is produced. The cork sheet is originally of suiicient thickness to allow of its being spread and thinned until the required joint has been made, and after drying every part of the cork is so fixedly and permanently united that the tensionset up -in the cork cannot cause any tearing or splitting after the cord o has been removed. Aftervthe cork has been applied as described, and the bat dried, the same may be putin a lathe and the end edges of the cork sheet finished to a feather edge, as indicated at 8 in Fig. .2, so as to prevent any pushing up and roughing of the cork at these-points. h

As a result of the described improvements, giving a good grip, absorbing shock, etc., are made available in practical and durable form. Morerelatively small shaft is increased to lallow of a better gripl upon the same,

as to give a resilient lbody or surface,v which v adds materially tothe firmness of the grip and the cork is cushioned so which may be had upon the hanen and adds to the shock absorbing quality of the thin cork sheet, and to`the accuracy with which the club can be 4directed and controlled.

While the middle portion' of the corkv sheet passes around and is secured to the described cushioned enlargement, the end portions of said sheet extend in each direction a .little beyond said foundation and are appliedand secured directly to the wood of the shaft at each end of said foundation.

What I claim is: 1. A handle for a base racket, hockey stick, and other. sporting goods, for which this construction ls'suitban hat, tennis.

able, covered with a sheet of cork under tension and secured in place by adhesion,'

able, covered with a sheet of cork under tension, and having an enlarging and cushioning foundation applied under the cork and ,n

firmly attached to the handle and to the inner side of the cork, the end portions of --said cork/extendingbeyond the said foundation and being applied and secured by. ad-vY hesion directly to the handle.

- In testimony whereof I afx my signature i JOHN AHILLERICH. 'l 

